They married in 1958 but divorced in 1960 after he beat her up during an argument. Her second husband was Maurice Kane Jr., an actor who appeared with her in Decision at Sundown (1957). They married in 1955 but divorced in 1958 after he cheated on her with Jane Russell. Her first husband was Bob Waterfield, a former football player who became a film producer. She married four times but divorced three times. She had several failed relationships with men who were either abusive or unfaithful to her. A Life of Struggleĭespite her success on screen, Karen faced many challenges in her personal life. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Female in 1956. She was described as “one of the most strikingly beautiful actresses to ever work in film and television” by IMDb. Karen was praised for her beauty and talent by critics and fans alike. She played Eve McHuron, one of the three women who are sold as brides by Harry Mudd in the episode “Mudd’s Women” (1966). She also appeared in sci-fi and comedy genres, such as The Twilight Zone, Get Smart, and Star Trek. She worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, such as James Garner, Clint Eastwood, Roger Moore, Burt Lancaster, Randolph Scott, Glenn Ford, and Kirk Douglas. Karen went on to star in many films and TV shows in the 1950s and 1960s, mostly in westerns and dramas. She later said that Marty was her favorite film because it gave her a chance to show her acting skills. Karen was reportedly mistaken for another actress by producer Delbert Mann when he cast her for the role. Her breakthrough role came in 1955, when she played Virginia, a tough but tender waitress who falls in love with Ernest Borgnine’s character in Marty, a critically acclaimed drama that won four Academy Awards. She also worked as a cover girl and a model for various magazines and products. She started as a radio actress on the program Let George Do It, and then made her film debut in The Clown (1953) in an uncredited role. She then moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in show business. Karen attended the University of Hawaii and studied acting at Rollins College in Florida for a year. She later said that the experience made her stronger and more determined to pursue her dreams. She underwent 22 operations to rebuild her leg with wires and metal, and had to learn to walk again with the help of a doctor from Hong Kong who cured her infection. She cut her leg on coral segments and developed a severe infection that threatened to amputate her limb. When she was 13 years old, Karen suffered a surfing accident that changed her life. Karen grew up in the Hawaiian Islands, where she learned to speak Japanese and Hawaiian languages, as well as English. Her mother was Ruth Covey Merritt, a Californian of French and Danish heritage. Her father was Percy Davis Steele, a Bostonian of English descent and a career Marine who later became an administrator of the Marshall Islands. Pepsi needed Joan.Karen Steele was born on March 20, 1931, in Honolulu, Hawaii. “Al Steele had been the company’s showman who traveled the world promoting Pepsi,” said Andrew Barnet, son of Pepsi president Herbert Barnet. Within weeks, a heartbroken Joan returned to making films, reasoning that “work is the best alleviator of sorrow.” She also was elected the first woman director of Pepsi’s board just days after her husband’s passing. On April 19, 1959, just a few days shy of her husband’s 58th birthday, Joan went to rouse Alfred for breakfast and discovered him dead from an apparent heart attack. I entertain the bottlers and their wives, whether they come from Africa, London, Switzerland or Kansas,” she said. After they wed, Joan starred in fewer movies and traveled with Alfred, too. Alfred, meanwhile, had quadrupled Pepsi’s sales during his tenure by visiting bottlers and attending plant openings around the world. In addition to cultivating relationships with Hollywood dealmakers, she grew her fan club by writing personal letters and sending little gifts to admirers. From the moment of her big break dancing the Charleston in 1928’s Our Dancing Daughters, Joan became a tireless self-promoter. Alfred and Joan were well matched in that they were both smart about business.
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